Action will be taken against Geelani if found guity: Sayeed

While Jammu saw angry protests, senior BJP leader and Union minister Jitendra Singh said the state government had taken proactive action in Alam’s case and hoped the same would be repeated for Geelani.

After the arrest of hardline separatist leader Masarat Alam, pressure is mounting on Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed to take action against Hurriyat chief Syed Ali Geelani for his rally in Kashmir.

While Jammu saw angry protests, senior BJP leader and Union minister Jitendra Singh said the state government had taken proactive action in Alam’s case and hoped the same would be repeated for Geelani.

Geelani had on Friday addressed a public rally in south Kashmir’s Tral, 45km away from Srinagar. He had demanded that the duration of the Amarnath Yatra be restricted to one month as the ecosystem of the area is fragile and had also reiterated his opposition to separate colonies for Kashmiri Pandits.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference in New Delhi, the chief minister had assured “action against Geelani in case he was found guilty”. “Action will be taken against elements who had waved Pakistani flags in Tral on Friday,” Sayeed said, adding that “law will take its own course.”

A police official, however, said no such evidence was present against Geelani in Friday’s rally. “Neither did he raise slogans nor was he seen with Pakistani flags,” he said.

The Hurriyat (G) also maintained that nothing unusual happened at the rally. “This has been happening since 1947. Nothing new happened in the rally,” said spokesman Ayaz Akbar.